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We are making watches that do more than just read time, they give time. We sell watches that help support refugee children in a sustainable way. Buying a $60 watch provides 60 minutes of tutoring and mentoring for the children.

Thoreson Watches

$20,838

95

Watches that don't just tell time, they give time.

This all started with a passion. A passion to make the world a better place.

We have been involved in the refugee communities of Phoenix for some time now and have witnessed first hand how hard life can be for these families, the children in particular. They come from nations all around the world, seeking refuge from the dangerous turmoil of their home, and convening in the same neighborhoods as us.

We wanted to find a way to help these children coming from all over the planet in a way that would be effective and not the same mundane inundation we saw in most the other organizations helping refugee children.

So we developed a business model that sells watches and uses the revenue to support the tutoring and mentorship of refugee children. We pay passionate people already working in the refugee communities to tutor and mentor these children at the age they need it the most. By paying passionate people to do their passion, they are able to make their passion a priority in their life, resulting in consistency for the children.

The watch has gone through many renditions since the project first started. Beginning with a simple engraving put into an old broken watch.
But after many renditions and several adjustments, finally landed on the design we have today. A strong, efficient, and stylish wooden watch.

Whats it made of

The case is made of bamboo, the dial is made of cedar, and the strap is made of high quality leather garner from a phoenix local leathery. The straps are sewed on using saddleback stitching which is easily taught to the family members. All these components make for a simple yet effective watch that carries a powerful story. We chose to use an atlas as the dial's face because we want to always be focused on helping refugees from around the globe. We chose to only engrave one number on the whole dial. The 6 o'clock roman numeral. This is because there are 6 continents that have inhabited civilizations, and we want to always be seeking to support people from every nation.

We need your help!

Although some of these watches are already made, we are trying to raise a large amount of funds to really launch it off the ground. Help us make this project a reality by buying a watch, it really is a win win win win win. Bring hope to those who need it so desperately.

Love Well.

The more in-depth back story

By being with these children I began to notice the thing they value the most was not money, or gifts, but rather what they value most is time. Consistent and persistent time investment from someone who can help educate them as well as show them the love they so desperately need. Many times the parents of these children work full time jobs, earning just enough to support the family and therefore the children are left unattended. This many times leads to dangerous life trajectories and exposure to things that could ruin their lives.
So what I saw before me was children in desperate need of attention and invested time. But I also saw them amidst a community of people with the resources to provide it. That’s when the tutor centered mentorship program was developed. And because consistent time can be hard to give, there had to be a way to provide payment for the time given by the tutors.
And thus was born, Thoreson Watches. Watches that don’t just tell time, they give time.
We sell the Thoreson watch for $60 and it provides 6o minutes of tutoring and mentorship for refugee children selected from the community. These children are promised up 500 hours of consistent investment from tutors or until they graduate 8th grade. This offers consistent support in the most dynamic time of their lives, where their vulnerability is at an utmost high. We didn’t want to stop their, we wanted to make a multi-generational help. So we are starting to pay the older family members of the children, to sew the watch straps on. We believe in conscious capitalism and that all parties should benefit, so we see this is as a win-win-win-win.
Refugee children are provided consist support, centered around the tutoring mentorship style program.
Passionate people already helping out in refugee communities can now be paid and given structure to their efforts, allowing them to make their passion a high priority.
The families of the children benefit by making revenue by sewing the watch straps on.
Thoreson watches makes profit which is used to further expand the tutoring mentor centered program.
Its cause with a higher purpose than simply making profits.
This project has been happening because of the collaborative efforts of people who have a passion to see help come to the refugee crises, and we all believe that by starting in our own community, we really can help make this world a better place.

Risks and challenges

Challenges

With any business there are many challenges to overcome. But in a way, they are comforting, they mean you are building something that’s real. We are taking each challenge as quickly as they come and trying to solve them even faster.
Are two hardest challenges thus far have been: Establishing a secured supply chain, and building trust with the refugee families we are trying to invest into.

In regards to the supply chain, we have one currently set up that will work, but as we grow we will look for more diverse, reliable, and consistent avenues. We will also try to consolidate it more as we grow as well as outsource as much as we can back into the refugee communities, so we can help even further.

In regards to building trust, we have found the most effective way of doing it is to do what we are trying to do through the business, invest time. We have been consistently visiting these families in these communities and slowly building familiarity which has led to trust in many of the cases. As these relationships grow, the families will be more familiar and trusting of the mentorship program.

Also, as like most Kickstarter projects, it will take a little time to receive the full order of watch components as wholesale, and then assemble and ship out. We will get the watches to you as quickly as possible and update you on the way!

These are the biggest challenges we face currently, but we are well aware that there are many more and that more will arise, but we are intent on failing as fast as we can so we can rebound, pivot, and reiterate even faster until we find the right answers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Early Adopters: 1 Thoreson Watch

You get the watch, you sponsor a refugee child for 60 minutes of tutoring, and you get it all for less. You will also receive a hand written, wax sealed letter upon ordering as a substitute gift until the watch is shipped.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

The Thoreson Watch

This is it. $60 for 60. The watch that lets you share time with those who desperately need it. Get it, wear it, and be part of a movement. You will also receive a hand written, wax sealed letter upon ordering as a substitute gift until the watch is shipped.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $85 or more
About $85

A Watch and a Shirt

You receive one Thoreson Watch and one Thoreson Shirt! You will be decked out in the coolest style on the block. All the while supporting those in need. You will also receive a hand written, wax sealed letter upon ordering as a substitute gift until the watch is shipped.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $550 or more
About $550

The mother load: 10 Thoreson Watches

10 watches, 10 hours of tutoring, world changing. This will make waves of progress in our pursuit of supporting refugee children. We will also send you a handmade leather bound journal and a wax sealed, hand written note. We thank you eternally.